Middle & Secondary Education - Humanities
Description:
The Middle & Secondary Education - Humanities A.A. degree program is designed to prepare students for a career in teaching humanities courses at the middle or high school level—English/Language Arts/Reading, History/Social Studies, Art, and Music. This program provides a strong foundation in both the content knowledge and pedagogical skills necessary for success in a classroom setting. Students earn an Associate in Arts degree in education, which is now required for many entry-level jobs in Pennsylvania K-12 schools. Most graduates then transfer to a four-year institution where they earn a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Education and are eligible for certification to teach at the middle or secondary levels, in math or science areas. It also serves as a first step for those students who wish to transfer to four-year schools so that they may earn their baccalaureate degrees in education.
Students engage in coursework that covers key concepts in the humanities’ field and educational theory, while also gaining hands-on experience through teaching practice and fieldwork in local schools and organizations.
Because transfer institutions require specific courses, it is highly recommended that students consult catalogues of schools to which they might transfer along with transfer information available in the Counseling Center, as well as their advisor, to make appropriate course selections.
According to Pennsylvania mandates, under Chapter 354, students need a 3.0 GPA for entry into upper-level education courses and teacher certification programs at four-year schools. In addition, they must pass the Pre-Professional Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA) before being admitted into these upper-level courses at four-year schools.
Note for Students in Middle Level: The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires candidates for 4th-8th grade teacher certification to earn 66 credits across four content areas: mathematics, science, English/language arts/reading and social studies. Students will not earn all the necessary content electives in this A.A. program. Depending on their transfer institution, students may apply the credits earned in their content electives towards those 66 content area credits. General education courses required by the program may also apply.
Students must take additional content area courses at their transfer institution to fulfill that institution's requirements for content courses.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the Education: Middle and Secondary Level degree program, graduates will be able to:
- Identify the relationship between historic and current public education in the United States, with emphasis on public education in urban environments.
- Develop a professional teaching philosophy informed by the study of cultural and social changes that shape contemporary practices in education.
- Communicate efficiently with specific stakeholders in education, using various communication modalities.
- Examine middle and secondary education teachers’ roles and responsibilities including certification requirements, instructional models, classroom management, record keeping, mandatory reporting, and IDEA compliance.
- Construct and apply meaning from theoretical frameworks including adolescent development, assessment, pedagogy, and professionalism.
- Utilize effective and appropriate communication tools and skills to convey Language Arts, Social Studies/History, Art, Music, and/or Philosophy content knowledge.
Program Entry Requirements:
New students are normally required to complete the College's placement test prior to their enrollment. Students identified as needing developmental work must satisfactorily complete the appropriate developmental English and mathematics courses as part of the program.
All students are required to take two mathematics courses.
Because students will be required to observe and work with children the Program requires students to meet the requirements of the Child Protective Services Law, 23 Pa. C.S.A., § 6344 (relating to prospective childcare personnel). Students must therefore present up-to-date Pennsylvania criminal history reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history reports, Department of Public Welfare (child abuse) reports, and health clearances, clearly stating that they are eligible to work with children. (Up-to-date clearance is defined as being no more than 12 months old on the first day of working with children.) Failure to produce up-to-date clearances or a change of clearance status may result in a student's removal from the program. A student who believes that an error of fact has been made in his/her removal may appeal that decision. Information regarding the appeal procedure will be provided with the letter of removal.
Program of Study and Graduation Requirements:
To qualify for the Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree in Middle and Secondary Education – Humanities, a student must complete a minimum of 61 credit hours as described in the following course sequence. In addition, the student must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, and a minimum grade of "C" in all Education courses.
During their matriculation in the program, it is strongly recommended that students meet with a designated Education academic advisor to choose their courses.
Students whose behavior is viewed as inconsistent with professional standards may be dropped from the curriculum pending an Education program hearing.
Course Sequence:
Semester 1
| Course Number and Name | Prerequisites and Corequisites | Credits | Gen Ed Req. |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL 101 - English Composition I or ENGL 101H - English Composition I (Honors) | 3 credits | Writing, Research, Info Lit 1 | |
| CMS 140 - Communication Technology for the Workplace | 3 credits | Technological Competency | |
| PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology or PSYC 101H - 101H Introduction to Psychology (Honors) | 3 credits | Cultural Analysis & Interpretation | |
| MATH 150 - Introductory Data Analysis or MATH 149 - Introductory Data Analysis with Algebra Review | MATH 150: FNMT 017 or FNMT 019 completed or placement in FNMT 118 or higher MATH 149: prerequisite FNMT 016 or placement in FNMT 017 or FNMT 018 | 3 or 4 credits | Quantitative Reasoning |
| ED 201 - Foundations of Education for Middle and Secondary Years | ENGL 101 with a grade "C" or better, which may be taken concurrently | 3 credits | Oral Communication/ Creative Expression |
Semester 2
| Course Number and Name | Prerequisites and Corequisites | Credits | Gen Ed Req. |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL 102 - The Research Paper or ENGL 102H - The Research Paper (Honors) | ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better | 3 credits | Writing, Research, Info Lit 2 |
| CMS 115 - Public Speaking | ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently | 3 credits | Oral Communication/ Creative Expression |
| ED 214 - Cognition and Learning in the Classroom | (ED 105 or ED 201, either with a grade of "C" or better) and PSYC 101 | 3 credits | |
| MATH 161 - Pre-Calculus I | MATH 161: FNMT 118 with a grade of "C" or better or placement in MATH 161 or higher | 3 credits | |
| PSYC 209 - Adolescent Psychology | PSYC 101 | 3 credits |
Semester 3
| Course Number and Name | Prerequisites and Corequisites | Credits | Gen Ed Req. |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOL 106 - General Biology I | 4 credits | Scientific Reasoning | |
| History Course (choose one): HIST 101 - United States History: Colonial America through the Revolutionary Era or HIST 102 - United States History: The Civil War and the 19th Century or HIST 103 - United States History: The 20th Century and Beyond or HIST 103H - United States and Pennsylvania History: The 20th Century (Honors) | 3 credits | ||
| ED 265 - Introduction to Special Education and Inclusive Practices | (ED 105 or ED 201, either with a grade of "C" or better) and (ED 204 or ED 214, either with a grade of "C" or better) and (PSYC 201 or PSYC 209 or PSYC 215) | 3 credits | |
| Content Elective for Special Education Concentration (see chart below for choice of content electives) | 3 to 5 credits | ||
| Content Elective for Special Education Concentration (see chart below for choice of content electives) | 3 to 5 credits |
Semester 4
| Course Number and Name | Prerequisites and Corequisites | Credits | Gen Ed Req. |
|---|---|---|---|
| ED 255 - Teaching English Language Learners | (ED 105 or ED 201, either with a grade of "C" or better) and (ED 204 or ED 214, either with a grade of "C" or better) and (ED 222 with a grade of "C" or better or PSYC 209) and ENGL 102 | 3 credits | |
| BIOL 107 - General Biology II or EASC 111 - Environmental Conservation or EASC 111H - Environmental Conservation (Honors) | 3 or 4 credits | ||
| ED 246 - Teaching Literacy Across the Curriculum | ED 201 with a grade "C" or better and ED 214, may be taken concurrently | 3 credits | |
| ED 295 - Education: Middle and Secondary Capstone & Seminar | ED 246 or ED 247 or ED 271 (may be taken concurrently) | 3 credits | |
| Content Elective (see chart below for choice of content electives) | 3 to 5 credits |
Minimum Credits Needed to Graduate:
61Middle Level (4th-8th) Content Electives
In consultation with an advisor, students should choose THREE content electives from the chart below based on the subject they plan to teach.
- SUBJECT: English/Language Arts/Reading
- Any 200-level ENGL course, except CMS 214 (includes Creative Writing courses)
- SUBJECT: Social Studies
- ANTH 112, POLS 111, SOC 101, SOC 233, RS 101, RS 1511
- ECON 181 or ECON 182
- GEOG 101, GEOG 103, GEOG 180, and/or GEOG 222
- HIST 121, HIST 122, HIST 220, and/or HIST 221
Secondary Level Content Electives
In consultation with an advisor, students should choose THREE courses from the chart below based on the subject they plan to teach.
- SUBJECT: Art 2
- ART 103 or ART 103H
- ART 104 or ART 104H
- ART 105
- ART 109
- ART 115
- SUBJECT: English
- Any 200-level ENGL course, except CMS 214 (includes Creative Writing courses)
- SUBJECT: Music 3
- MUS 105
- MUS 106
- MUS 116
- MUS 118
- MUS 120
- MUS 121
- SUBJECT: Social Studies
- ANTH 112
- POLS 111 or POLS 111H
- SOC 101 or SOC 101H
- SOC 233
- ECON 181 ECON 182
- GEOG 101 GEOG 103 GEOG 180 GEOG 222
- HIST 121
- HIST 122
- HIST 220
- HIST 221
- RS 101
- RS 151
- SUBJECT: World Languages 4
- Students should take a minimum of two courses in the language they plan to teach and three additional courses in the Secondary Humanities content elective list.
1 Students who plan to attend a religiously-affiliated college or university should take Religious Studies (RS) courses.
2 Students who intend to teach art at the secondary level should also prepare a portfolio.
3 Most baccalaureate programs in music education require testing and/or auditions for incoming transfer students. CCP students who intend to teach music should contact their intended transfer institutions for details.
4 Students who are already fluent in the language they intend to teach should take five of the other courses in the Secondary Humanities concentration content electives list instead.
General Education Requirements:
All general education requirements necessary for graduation are met through the courses in the program as indicated above. Students who wish to take courses that differ from the general education courses indicated above must complete a course substitution request form. To access the form, login to the MyCCP portal, and in the Student tab, under Electronic Forms, click on the Records and Registration Forms link, then choose Request for Course Substitution of Graduation Requirement link. A more detailed explanation of the College's general education requirements is also available.